The Downtown Lakeland Partnership has hired Lori Long as its new executive director.
Long brings extensive knowledge in small business management to the position, said Mark Parker, president. She formerly served as director of Small Wonders Child Development Center and Goal Seekers PreK. While under her leadership, Small Wonders saw tremendous growth and was selected by The Ledger as the Best of the Best Day Care in Polk County.
She has served on the Children’s Home Society Board of Directors, and sits on the Steering Committee for Emerge Lakeland as their volunteer chair. For the past three years, she has served with Central Florida Speech & Hearing planning events and fundraising for their work at the center.
Long spent more than 20 years as a teacher and was an academic intervention facilitator for Oscar J. Pope Elementary School. While there, she was selected as Teacher of the Year.
Long started her new position on July 6.